Getting an ADHD diagnosis in Wales is an awful experience. It was an 8 year waiting list for my health board. I had a private diagnosis and I am still waiting to see NHS Adult ADHD services for medication, 2 years waiting so far. They need to introduce RTC in Wales. The services are the same for children including Autism assessments, over 2 years for my child. Hywel Dda health board are a bit behind the times with certain services, especially due to the demographic and the rural environment.
Currently waiting for an autism ASSESSMENT, it’s been 4-5 years with nothing. 😬
Adult diagnosis is almost impossible. You get anti depressants for the anxiety and resulting depression and a leaflet for a website and the “possibility” of a 2 year waiting list
My kid just got an ASD diagnosis in South Wales after three and a half years on the waiting list. They phoned me and said yeah your kid is autistic now you’re on the inactive cases list kthxbai.
I gave up. Just gonna have to hope I get the money for private eventually.
Our experience.:
Reception Class teacher – also SEN coordinator asked “Can we have a dyslexia test”…..’Yes but it’ll be year 5 as theres a backlog and we don’t see a benefit in testing earlier.
We ask every year, they will test in year 5 yes?
Year 5 arrives and no test or plans for a test.
£750 for a private test. Results go back to school and SEN. No action, meeting or plans.
Year 6 teacher meets us in May for school reports and says “Hes definitely showing some dyslexic traits, have you thought about asking the authority to test him ” – Dipstick never even bothered to read the report nor the SEN advise him of it.
Yeah me lol
I went to my local gp, they told me to fill in a form. It’s still waiting to get filled 4 years later
I haven’t even asked for one yet
Took me six months from initial GP chat to diagnosed and medicated. My health board threw a huge amount of funding at adult ND assessments over the last two years, I know others with similar experiences to me and one person that took around a year. I feel so sorry for other people waiting years – if you are one of them then please stick at it, medication has been a huge help for me.
They could have put aside a tenner a month and paid for it themselves in that time.
According to the article it states there was £0 in funding.
When I went to my GP about being diagnosed for it and that it was affecting me a lot more recently. He laughed and said everyone has it now tiktok has made it popular and refused a referral.
I got refused an assessment after a screening call where I did describe all my symptoms which are descriptive of ADHD to the T. Had to pay out of pocket for a University Supplied assessment just to find out that since he isn’t a doctor he can only give a professional opinion and not actually prescribe medication (which he was against anyway)
Honestly I’ve just given up. I’ll just struggle with the thing for the rest of my life. I can live with it most of the time even if it does make it harder.
Took me three years to get an adult ASD assessment done in England, and I only went to England because I was told it would take twice as long in Wales. Shambolic either way.
Though tbh it wasn’t worth waiting, worrying, and doing all the paperwork, as there was no follow-up support, and it turns out NHS GPs in both countries don’t take it seriously, and use it as a loophole to handwave any medical or physical concern you bring to them. Having it on one’s medical record may also prevent you travelling to certain countries or entering certain professions, which I didn’t know and wasn’t informed about before I signed up and got assessed. At least it was free, but it’s caused as many problems as solved them.
It’s a disgrace that two years is the best outcome.
I even offered to pay for a private diagnosis, but guess what, none of the doctors at my GP surgery will agree to a shared care plan — i.e. I’d have to pay for medication privately as well after paying for the assessment.
my child has severe adhd, we waited 4 years for his primary school to do anything and they still haven’t so we were forced to go private which cost thousands. (we still get no support from the school)
Uk Average is now 10 years
My daughter has been waiting 8 yrs, even though her secondary school made it very clear she was autistic and ensured she had all the accommodations she needed.
There is a serious fault in the process of getting an autism diagnosis, especially for girls.
My13 year old step son has been waiting 2 years for his autism diagnosis, from the school he’s currently in and there is still no sign of it, while it has become even more obvious of his autistic traits. The system sucks
Are you under the CMHT already? I think it must be quicker if you are. I must be in the 0.1% of *extremely* lucky people, I’ve been under the CMHT for 10 years and went for a routine appt with my psychiatrist, after we spoke he managed to fit me in for 2pm that day for an ADHD assessment because he felt it was urgent and it was his duty to assess me. This was in 2023.
I’m flabbergasted the more I see about wait times – wtf happened with me to be so lucky?? I’m not sure if being under the CMHT already helps but if it does I encourage everyone who *is* under the CMHT to approach your nurse or psychiatrist as well as the GP? Jesus Christ… there must be SOMETHING that worked in my case (unwittingly) and if anyone has a clue please tell others!
You lot are obsessed with wanting a label
Went through process and was on the stage to be interviewed by a psychiatrist. Had no messages, called the clinic and was told I was removed due to lack of content.
The service is a fucking joke.
Okay I think the unknown person in question might actually be my boyfriend, he’s been on the waiting list for around 8 years and has a habbit of slipping through the cracks due to his ADHD.
eight and half years’ wait would be complete torture for someone with adhd; i hope dude had something else to keep him occupied while waiting /s 🤣
My advice to everyone in this thread is to get under the care of your local mental health unit, and talk to a doctor from there. They will have someone fit to dispense medication if you’ve had a diagnosis, and may be able to expedite a diagnosis if you can convey to them how much it affects your daily life.
Genuine question here.
I understand diagnostic services are also a nightmare in England.
However, as someone who has gone through the process of waiting around 7 years for a diagnosis in wales and ending up having to go private.
I can’t help but feel like one of my main barriers wasn’t the waiting list, but the shocking attitude and subsequent incompetence from every medical professional I came into contact with.
I hear stories from those in England who say they have to wait an extremely long time for a diagnosis.
However it seems that here in wales, you’re lucky if you ever even get on the waiting list?
Welsh medical professionals seem absurdly reluctant to even give you an assessment, never mind diagnose you with anything.
Anytime I have seen a gp for my mental health it has been useless, they wouldn’t even prescribe me anti anxiety medication despite the fact that they knew I’d had therapy and had been suffering for years up until that point.
Do welsh gp’s have a completely different view on mental health conditions compared to those in England? I honestly don’t get it.
Hywel dda just won’t offer it to adults for ASD or ADHD. They’re bankrupt anyway. Thanks Welsh labour for your stellar performance in managing our health (and education) services.
I had the same experience. When I wrote to the local health board about the waiting, their reply basically was, “we only have a doctor in the area who can diagnose ADHD … sorry …” Bear in mind the letter was signed by three managers, so my reply was to sack one of the managers and hire a doctor.
After three years and a half (even private psychiatrists weren’t accepting new patients), I wrote to the local health board, saying that they were discriminating against ADHD patients by providing something that I wouldn’t call a service, and that I didn’t care to take the complaint further. I attached every document, letter, and screenshot I had as evidence. Six weeks later, I had a letter for an appointment.
29 comments
Getting an ADHD diagnosis in Wales is an awful experience. It was an 8 year waiting list for my health board. I had a private diagnosis and I am still waiting to see NHS Adult ADHD services for medication, 2 years waiting so far. They need to introduce RTC in Wales. The services are the same for children including Autism assessments, over 2 years for my child. Hywel Dda health board are a bit behind the times with certain services, especially due to the demographic and the rural environment.
Currently waiting for an autism ASSESSMENT, it’s been 4-5 years with nothing. 😬
Adult diagnosis is almost impossible. You get anti depressants for the anxiety and resulting depression and a leaflet for a website and the “possibility” of a 2 year waiting list
My kid just got an ASD diagnosis in South Wales after three and a half years on the waiting list. They phoned me and said yeah your kid is autistic now you’re on the inactive cases list kthxbai.
I gave up. Just gonna have to hope I get the money for private eventually.
Our experience.:
Reception Class teacher – also SEN coordinator asked “Can we have a dyslexia test”…..’Yes but it’ll be year 5 as theres a backlog and we don’t see a benefit in testing earlier.
We ask every year, they will test in year 5 yes?
Year 5 arrives and no test or plans for a test.
£750 for a private test. Results go back to school and SEN. No action, meeting or plans.
Year 6 teacher meets us in May for school reports and says “Hes definitely showing some dyslexic traits, have you thought about asking the authority to test him ” – Dipstick never even bothered to read the report nor the SEN advise him of it.
Yeah me lol
I went to my local gp, they told me to fill in a form. It’s still waiting to get filled 4 years later
I haven’t even asked for one yet
Took me six months from initial GP chat to diagnosed and medicated. My health board threw a huge amount of funding at adult ND assessments over the last two years, I know others with similar experiences to me and one person that took around a year. I feel so sorry for other people waiting years – if you are one of them then please stick at it, medication has been a huge help for me.
They could have put aside a tenner a month and paid for it themselves in that time.
According to the article it states there was £0 in funding.
When I went to my GP about being diagnosed for it and that it was affecting me a lot more recently. He laughed and said everyone has it now tiktok has made it popular and refused a referral.
I got refused an assessment after a screening call where I did describe all my symptoms which are descriptive of ADHD to the T. Had to pay out of pocket for a University Supplied assessment just to find out that since he isn’t a doctor he can only give a professional opinion and not actually prescribe medication (which he was against anyway)
Honestly I’ve just given up. I’ll just struggle with the thing for the rest of my life. I can live with it most of the time even if it does make it harder.
Took me three years to get an adult ASD assessment done in England, and I only went to England because I was told it would take twice as long in Wales. Shambolic either way.
Though tbh it wasn’t worth waiting, worrying, and doing all the paperwork, as there was no follow-up support, and it turns out NHS GPs in both countries don’t take it seriously, and use it as a loophole to handwave any medical or physical concern you bring to them. Having it on one’s medical record may also prevent you travelling to certain countries or entering certain professions, which I didn’t know and wasn’t informed about before I signed up and got assessed. At least it was free, but it’s caused as many problems as solved them.
It’s a disgrace that two years is the best outcome.
I even offered to pay for a private diagnosis, but guess what, none of the doctors at my GP surgery will agree to a shared care plan — i.e. I’d have to pay for medication privately as well after paying for the assessment.
my child has severe adhd, we waited 4 years for his primary school to do anything and they still haven’t so we were forced to go private which cost thousands. (we still get no support from the school)
Uk Average is now 10 years
My daughter has been waiting 8 yrs, even though her secondary school made it very clear she was autistic and ensured she had all the accommodations she needed.
There is a serious fault in the process of getting an autism diagnosis, especially for girls.
My13 year old step son has been waiting 2 years for his autism diagnosis, from the school he’s currently in and there is still no sign of it, while it has become even more obvious of his autistic traits. The system sucks
Are you under the CMHT already? I think it must be quicker if you are. I must be in the 0.1% of *extremely* lucky people, I’ve been under the CMHT for 10 years and went for a routine appt with my psychiatrist, after we spoke he managed to fit me in for 2pm that day for an ADHD assessment because he felt it was urgent and it was his duty to assess me. This was in 2023.
I’m flabbergasted the more I see about wait times – wtf happened with me to be so lucky?? I’m not sure if being under the CMHT already helps but if it does I encourage everyone who *is* under the CMHT to approach your nurse or psychiatrist as well as the GP? Jesus Christ… there must be SOMETHING that worked in my case (unwittingly) and if anyone has a clue please tell others!
You lot are obsessed with wanting a label
Went through process and was on the stage to be interviewed by a psychiatrist. Had no messages, called the clinic and was told I was removed due to lack of content.
The service is a fucking joke.
Okay I think the unknown person in question might actually be my boyfriend, he’s been on the waiting list for around 8 years and has a habbit of slipping through the cracks due to his ADHD.
eight and half years’ wait would be complete torture for someone with adhd; i hope dude had something else to keep him occupied while waiting /s 🤣
My advice to everyone in this thread is to get under the care of your local mental health unit, and talk to a doctor from there. They will have someone fit to dispense medication if you’ve had a diagnosis, and may be able to expedite a diagnosis if you can convey to them how much it affects your daily life.
Genuine question here.
I understand diagnostic services are also a nightmare in England.
However, as someone who has gone through the process of waiting around 7 years for a diagnosis in wales and ending up having to go private.
I can’t help but feel like one of my main barriers wasn’t the waiting list, but the shocking attitude and subsequent incompetence from every medical professional I came into contact with.
I hear stories from those in England who say they have to wait an extremely long time for a diagnosis.
However it seems that here in wales, you’re lucky if you ever even get on the waiting list?
Welsh medical professionals seem absurdly reluctant to even give you an assessment, never mind diagnose you with anything.
Anytime I have seen a gp for my mental health it has been useless, they wouldn’t even prescribe me anti anxiety medication despite the fact that they knew I’d had therapy and had been suffering for years up until that point.
Do welsh gp’s have a completely different view on mental health conditions compared to those in England? I honestly don’t get it.
Hywel dda just won’t offer it to adults for ASD or ADHD. They’re bankrupt anyway. Thanks Welsh labour for your stellar performance in managing our health (and education) services.
I had the same experience. When I wrote to the local health board about the waiting, their reply basically was, “we only have a doctor in the area who can diagnose ADHD … sorry …” Bear in mind the letter was signed by three managers, so my reply was to sack one of the managers and hire a doctor.
After three years and a half (even private psychiatrists weren’t accepting new patients), I wrote to the local health board, saying that they were discriminating against ADHD patients by providing something that I wouldn’t call a service, and that I didn’t care to take the complaint further. I attached every document, letter, and screenshot I had as evidence. Six weeks later, I had a letter for an appointment.
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